German Page

Welcome to the website of the AStA of the University of Cologne

You can find basic information about us, our services and how you can contact us here.

Starting 01.04.2024 (summer semester), the digital Germany semester ticket will be introduced: Use public transport nationwide, exclusively digital ticket & NOT available on student ID card

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About us

The Student Body

What is the AStA anyway?

The AStA (General Student Committee) is the executive part of the student body and is elected once a year. It represents the interests of the students, i.e. your interests, within the university and also takes care of your concerns in everyday university life.

 

Who elects the AStA?

Every winter semester you elect the student parliament (StuPa) of the University of Cologne. During the elections, different political university groups compete against each other. The StuPa has a total of 51 seats. After the elections, different groups have coalition talks in order to then form an AStA with a majority. The coalition in parliament then elects the AStA, which consists of a three-member executive board and various refereess, who then work in „their“ departments together with project leaders on specific topics. Additionally, the AStA cooperates with groups such as student representative groups, other university groups, political alliances, etc.

 

The work in the AStA

The AStA board currently consists of the 1st chair Johanna Weidmann and the 2nd chair Niklas Behrendt-Emden. The financial referee takes care of all financial matters of the student body.

In addition, there is the department of social and international affairs, the department of politics, the department of student bodies, the department of ecology and infrastructure, the department of anti-discrimination and culture, the department of teaching and studies, the public relations department and the department of well being and mental health. You can find the AStA at Universitätsstraße 16.

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Services

Which places at the University of Cologne are not barrier-free? We collect the deficiencies, such as missing marking of:

– elevators

– parking spaces

– restrooms

– ramps

– electric doors, etc.

 

We are mainly interested in small changes that we can take care of directly and without major construction work. Nevertheless, we also welcome reports regarding completely missing elevators, etc.

We apologize that this accessibility report is not barrier-free either. We are currently looking for alternatives.

All data will be treated confidentially. Your name will not be disclosed. All complaints will be forwarded anonymously!

Click here to get to the report form.

 

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Deutschlandticket

As of 5th June 2023

The Deutschlandticket for students

Students of the University of Cologne can purchase an upgrade for 15,28 € on the KVB app or in the online store of the DB NRW. The upgrade is valid only on a monthly basis, so it needs to be purchased each month. The upgrade expands the semester ticket to nationwide public transportation in Germany. However, please note that you must always carry both your semester ticket and your upgrade ticket with you and be able to present them both if requested during a ticket inspection. Like the semester ticket, the upgrade ticket is also non-transferable. For more information, please visit the website of the KVB (english version not available yet).

IMPORTANT: When purchasing the upgrade, it is important to know that it is not valid for a period of 30 days from the date of purchase but only until the last day of the month. This means that if you purchase the upgrade ticket on 30th May, it will only be valid until 31st May, and you will need to purchase the upgrade again on 1st June.

Furthermore, we support the demand of the Landes-AStA-Treffen NRWs (LAT NRW), the assembly of all student unions in North Rhine-Westphalia, regarding the introduction of a nationwide, solidarity-funded 129 € semester ticket. Students are still greatly affected by the inflation crisis, which is why as the AStA of the University of Cologne, we demand financial relief for participating in public transportation. A petition calling for the swift implementation of this model has already been launched.

We are in constant touch with the KVB and strive to achieve an offer that meets the needs of our students!

A brief explanation of the semester ticket

Since the winter semester of 2008/09, all students of the University of Cologne have been able to use buses, trams (U-Bahn and S-Bahn) and trains (RE, RB) throughout North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) (excluding IC, EC, and ICE trains) for free. Upon enrollment, you will receive your UCCard, which serves as a ticket on one hand for public transportation on the buses and trams of the local transportation company Kölner Verkehrsbetriebe (KVB), within the Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Sieg transport network which constitutes the area of Greater Cologne (see the map below) and on the other hand and as an NRW ticket with validity to travel on RE and RB throughout the whole federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia. For more information, please visit the website of the UCCard.

Accompanying persons or bicycle transport outside the VRS area are not included! So, if you travel with a friend beyond the VRS area but still within NRW (e.g. Düsseldorf), as the holder of the NRW ticket, you are eligible for free travel. However, you can only take your friend to the border of the VRS area (in the case of Düsseldorf, until Leverkusen). Beyond the border of the VRS area, the accompanying person must purchase a separate ticket for the journey until the person reaches the final destination.

NOTE: FOR FIRST SEMESTER STUDENTS: Unfortunately, you can only use the semester ticket starting from the semester start date (for summer semester 1st april and winter semester 1st October).

If you experience any issues with public transportation, you can contact the Nahverkehr Schlichtungsstelle for arbitration. The Nahverkehr Schlichtungsstelle is an independent institution of the Verein Schlichtungsstelle Nahverkehr e.V. Its members include the Verbraucherzentrale NRW (Consumer Center NRW), the Verband deutscher Verkehrsunternehmen (Association of German Transport Companies), and the transport companies in North Rhine-Westphalia. They provide their services free of charge to passengers and are often involved when an objection to a fare surcharge (fare evasion) is rejected by the issuing transport company, or for delays, cancellations, and other questions regarding public transportation in NRW.

You can find more information on the website of the Schlichtungsstelle (english version not available yet).

VRS tariff area

Validity area of the NRW ticket

However, please note the following extensions of the coverage area to certain regions outside of NRW

FAQ

When and where can I take a bicycle with me?

Within the VRS area, you are allowed to take a bicycle with your semester ticket from Monday to Friday from 7pm until the end of service (3 am), and on weekends and holidays throughout the day. However, exceptions can be made by the staff at any time, for example, in case of overcrowding or similar situations. Additionally, strollers and wheelchairs always have priority. These regulations also apply to e-bikes, pedelecs, and non-foldable or unfolded electric scooters (NOT e-scooters).

Outside the VRS area and on weekdays before 7 pm you need to obtain an additional ticket.

When am I allowed to take people for free?

Children under 6 years are generally transported free of charge. In addition, on weekdays from 7 p.m. until 3 a.m. the following day, as well as on weekends and holidays, you can take one person over 14 years of age and up to 3 people between 6 and 14 years of age free of charge. This rule applies only within the VRS area.

What should I do in case of a lost student ID card?

Our colleagues at the Infopoint of the Mensa Zülpicher Straße and some other service points report found cards to the UCCard support. Once a report is received, you will be automatically notified by email that your UCCard has been found and where you can pick it up. Regardless, please contact the Chip Card Office in case of loss or theft: The card must be blocked in this case to prevent any misuse.

What should I do if I get checked and forgot my student ID?

If you forgot your student ID and get caught without a ticket on a bus or train, inform the inspectors that you forgot your ticket. The receipt issued by the inspectors states a fine of €60 and looks exactly like the regular notice, BUT what matters is what is entered into the device. If the non-carriage has been written down into the system, you must enter your data within one week on a portal developed by KVB and the university administration. You can find the portal here

For further questions, feel free to contact us at nrw-ticket@asta.uni-koeln.de or visit the office of the hardship committee.

Hardship Committee

The Härtefallausschuss of the student parliament of the University of Cologne is responsible for deciding on refund applications for the semester ticket fee according to the hardship regulations of the student parliament of the University of Cologne. The hardship committee is located in the building at Universitätsstraße 16 on the first floor.

Phone no.: 0221/421421

Fax: 0221/470-5071

Email: asta-haertefallausschuss@uni-koeln.de

Opening hours

Monday – Wednesday: 09:00 am – 01:00 pm

Thursday: 09:00 am – 12:00 pm

Friday: Closed

Downloads

Download: Application form for the hardship committee (english version not available yet)
Download: Hardship regulations of the student union of the University of Cologne (english version not available yet) 

Download: VRS common tariff (english version not available yet)

 

Download: NRW tariff (english version not available yet)

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Kontakt

Achtung: Bitte versende keine vertraulichen Daten über das Kontaktformular an Allgemeines/Kontakt.
Anträge zur Erstattung es Semesterbeitrags müssen an den Härtefallausschuss gerichtet werden.